Best Birthday Ever
by TheRedScreech
Summary: Everyone's forgotten Leo's birthday. Again. But he doesn't mind and it's more fun for him anyway. Then their turtle luck just has to ruin everything. Rated T because of violence in Chapter 1 and I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

**Best Birthday Ever**

No set universe, though order of birth is Leo, Don, Raph, Mikey.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 1: Leo's Gift

It was to be expected that they would forget his birthday. After all, they'd forgotten the last four years running so why should this year be any different? It didn't hurt – not anymore, at least. In fact, Hamato Leonardo rather enjoyed the lack of attention on his birthday. Instead of cake, gifts and bad singing, he treated himself with something entirely different, something he hadn't had since Master Splinter had named him leader: time. More precisely, time with his brothers. The activities varied from one year to the next mostly because he didn't want to draw attention to himself or to what he was doing, so he masked his enthusiasm with his big-brother-slash-leader voice and feigned resignation.

After routine training and a short meditation session, he sauntered down the hall in search of whichever brother he happened upon first. He rounded the corner and almost crashed into Donatello.

"Eeee!" his brother squeaked in surprise, and something shiny fell from his hands.

Leo caught it deftly before it hit the floor.

"Wow, Leo! Nice catch!"

Leo handed the tool back to his brother with a solemn "Ninja skills. What are you working on now?"

"Oh, this and that," Don said dismissively, waving a hand. "Nothing of consequence."

Leo carefully hid his smile and crossed his arms over his chest. "Since when does someone of your intellectual calibre bother with 'nothing of consequence'?"

Donnie had half-turned away from him but whirled back around with wide eyes. The two eldest brothers stared at each other for a long moment before he said, so quietly, "Do you want to see something cool?"

"You sure you don't want to show Mikey?" Leo quipped dryly.

The horror on Don's face more than proved what he thought of that question. "Come on, Leo," he urged. "I promise this is no ill-fated gizmo."

 _Success,_ Leo thought happily as he sighed, nodded and followed after his younger brother.

He spent the better part of the morning in Don's lab, passing him various instruments and tools as his purple-banded brother constructed another physical materialization of some random idea concocted who knew when. He let his brother ramble, throwing in appropriate commentary at intervals to keep him chatting amiably. He loved being in the lab. He loved working with Donnie. He was always amazed at what his hands created for them: gadgets and gizmos for easier living or easier ways to kick shell or both. He barely understood half of what his brother spouted as they tinkered away but he didn't let that bother him because it was his birthday and he was spending it the way he wanted.

Then Mikey walked in.

"Hey, guys!" he crowed. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Very important and very delicate work," was the stern reply from Donatello who didn't even bother looking up, and Leo tensed marginally in preparation to intervene.

"Cool! What is it?" Mikey was unfazed by the tone.

Leo hid his smile as the stiffness in his immediate younger brother's shoulders eased; Don never could resist telling (bragging!) about his newest invention.

"It's a hands-free communication device," he announced proudly, and he held up the thing that was smaller than a dime.

"News flash, Brainiac, we've already got phones," Mikey said with a smirk.

Don threw Leo a look as if to say _this is why I don't let Mikey in here on purpose_ , and Leo allowed a tiny smile to curl across his lips. "Don thinks that something hands-free would be more effective if we're fighting or we need to stay in contact but still use our hands," he explained smoothly, emotionlessly. Oh, he was enjoying this so much!

"Oh." Mikey smiled. "Well, that's cool! When's it gonna be ready?"

Don smiled, pleased. "I need to run a few more tests on the prototype but it should be ready sometime next week."

"Can I test it? Dude, please? That would be so awesome! Please, please, please?"

"Uh, no. Definitely no," Donnie deadpanned, his smile gone.

Mikey danced towards them…and then around them. "Oh, please? Oh, please, oh, please, oh, pleeeaaase?" he sang.

"I would love for that to stop," Don growled.

 _And that's my cue,_ Leo thought as he stepped forward. "Hey, Mikey. If you stop bothering Don for the rest of the day, I'll play Super Smash Bros. with you."

Mikey froze in the act, his arms immobile in the air as he had swung them around his head. Don stared at him, mouth agape.

"What?"

Leo sighed and crossed his arms. "Don't bother Donnie and I'll play video games with you," he said slowly, as if his brother were impaired.

" _You_ want to play _video games_? _With Mikey_?" gasped Don, clearly affronted that Leo would favour such mindlessness over inventing.

"No. I want to get Mikey out of your lab so you can finish what I think could be a very useful invention."

"Dude, you are so on!" Mikey leaped forward and grabbed his arm, dragging him to the door. "See ya later, Donnie!"

Leo looked back over his shoulder at his purple-banded brother and smiled. Don rolled his eyes and shook his head, and the door clicked closed behind them.

"Dude, Leo, this is gonna be epic! I really hope you're ready to lose!"

"We'll see about that," Leo replied smoothly, successfully concealing his grin.

-:-:-:-

It was a miracle (*cough* Donnie) that their beat-up Nintendo 64 even worked, let alone still worked after three years of Mikey, plus for however long it had sat in the junkyard. Two hours later, it was past lunchtime and Leo leaned back as his Samus Aran delivered a blow to Mikey's Donkey Kong, effectively blasting the gorilla off the building.

"Nooooo!" Mikey wailed when the round ended, Samus declared the winner.

Leo exhaled on his fingernails and rubbed them against his plastron smugly. "What's that now, Mike? Thirteen to four?"

"How are you so good at this game when you don't even play?" his brother demanded for the umpteenth time.

"Ninja skills," was the lofty retort. "It's all hand-eye coordination. It's really not that hard."

"But I have the best hand-eye coordination! Video games are scientifically proven to increase it!"

"You forget, brother mine," Leo said sagely, "that ninjutsu does the same thing. Besides, I have naturally quicker reflexes."

"Whatever." Mikey tossed his controller onto the cushion beside him and pouted.

Leo chuckled and nudged his shoulder with his own. "Hey. Why don't we make lunch?"

"You want to make lunch with me?" His little brother's pout vanished and confusion danced through his eyes. "But…you suck at cooking."

Leo could not help his laugh – oh, it felt so good to laugh with his baby brother! "I can't be that terrible when the best chef in the house is right beside me."

Mikey regarded him silently for a moment, unnerved by his lightheartedness, but then he smiled. "Well, okay. But how about something simple? Grilled cheese and soup?"

Leo smiled. It was perfect for the first day of chilly February. "Sounds perfect," he said.

There was a reason Leo did not cook. Even with Mikey supervising, Leo yelped in dismay when the two sandwiches in the pan blackened.

"Dude, what'd you do!?" Mikey demanded, pretty much body-checking him out of the way and removing the pan from the stove to the sink where he dumped the smoking, cheesy charcoal.

Leo reddened and looked down. So much for his good day. "Um…"

Mikey strode past him, hot pan still in hand and glanced at the stove dial. "Geez, Leo, this thing's way too high! You could've started a fire! With grilled cheese!" Leo wasn't sure if his brother was fighting laughter or rage at his idiocy. Either one was humiliating.

"Sorry, Mikey," Leo mumbled to the floor. "I'll, um, I guess I'll just set the table." He made to step away but his brother caught his elbow.

"Here." Mikey said kindly as he guided him to the counter and dug in the bottom cupboard, pulling out the blender. "Why don't you make the drink instead?"

"Okay." Leo didn't look at him, too angry at himself for messing up something as simple as a dumb sandwich.

"Hey." Leo lifted his head a fraction, hesitantly meeting Mike's eyes. Mikey smiled kindly at him. "You might not be able to cook worth beans but you're the only turtle I trust to make the best, dang drinks this side of anywhere. Surprise us. I'm down with anything you make anyway." With that, he turned away to the bread box to replace the destroyed sandwiches.

Leo stood and stared at his brother's shell, completely floored and flabbergasted, for a solid minute before he wandered over to the fridge. With only a few words, his baby brother had salvaged his pride and his good day, and he smiled as he pulled out a bottle of strawberry daiquiri flavouring. He hoped they still had some Nesquick chocolate powder left…

Lunch was consumed with the usual gusto, though everyone had something to say about the milkshake he made. Even Raph growled "This is great", and Leo's small smile widened a fraction and his heart soared.

-:-:-:-

After the meal, Splinter invited him to train in the dojo, which Leo accepted without hesitation. While he enjoyed his own, personal training sessions, Leo always learned something from the old rat about whatever his master deemed relevant that day. The lessons varied from new and more complicated kata to an improvised obstacle course to sparring to joint manipulation. Today was different than most.

Splinter handed him two short, wooden batons, arming himself likewise, and smiled. "Aim to kill, my son. Begin."

Leo had barely time to recover from the shocking instruction before Sensei rushed him. He blocked without a second to spare and let his body take over for the fight. He was surprised at the lesson because if Sensei had taught them anything it was that every life was precious and valued. To kill in any circumstance other than self-defence was abhorrent to the art of ninjutsu and to Bushido, and even then it was better to maim or injure than end a life. But Leo knew his father was no fool. He knew that he knew that killing was part of their lives. Leo was seventeen now and he had killed long before today. He shuddered a little at the memory of that night more than a year-and-a-half ago.

"Are you all right, Leonardo?" Master Splinter asked kindly even as he swung his baton at his head.

Leo parried and thrusted in rapid succession, v-stepping to the right and jabbing. "Yes, Sensei. I was just remembering something."

Splinter blocked effectively and turned expertly to follow the quick turtle. "What is it, if you don't mind my asking?"

Leo danced out of his father's reach. His shoulders drooped with the memory but he kept his batons up. "My first kill," he murmured.

Sensei froze in his attack and slowly lowered his weapons. "Ah," he said.

"It doesn't bother me," Leo said hurriedly. "I mean, well, it does but I did it for the right reasons and it was self-defence and it was the Foot and it happened a long time ago so I really shouldn't be bothered but…" He trailed off, looking away. Splinter was silent, waiting, and Leo sighed. "It was someone's life. I took a life. I've taken more in the time since and always it was in defence but that doesn't make me feel any better. And I don't like envisioning ways to kill you, Father. I don't like aiming to kill you."

"I see," Sensei mused. He tucked the batons into his sash and strode forward, taking his face in his hands. "You are wise beyond your years, my son," he said. "It is the mark of a great warrior – and a great man – who takes no pleasure in killing. I know that it was not wrong of me to teach you ninjutsu, for I wanted you and your brothers to not only survive but to live. Even so, I knew that when I began to teach you when you were not even five years old, that I was teaching you how to kill. The knowledge that you would eventually kill someone haunted me for years as you trained and excelled and eventually journeyed to the surface to test your skills. I, too, remember that night." Tears welled in the old rat's black eyes but they didn't fall. "That night was one of the worst of my life as I witnessed the shattered soul of one of my precious children. Your reason for acting was sound: you acted to protect Donatello; but you nearly lost yourself to grief, anguish and self-hatred."

"You pulled me out of it, Father," Leo whispered, feeling tears of his own sliding down his cheeks. "I still remember what you said."

"And what did I say?" prompted Sensei.

"You told me _kishi kaisei_. I was mad at first because I wasn't the one who was dead, but that wasn't what you meant. I wasn't physically dead but I was on the inside." Leo smiled up at his father despite his tears. "You urged me to live, to rise from the horrible thing I'd done."

"And you did, my son," whispered the rat as he pressed a rare kiss to his brow.

Leo leaned into his father, the batons limp in his hands. "I realized it wasn't a bad thing to save Donnie. I did what I had to do to keep him safe. The Foot ninja I killed was a man, and he was loyal and honourable to his master. I can't fault him for doing what he thought was right, and that was what almost ruined me. But then, when you sat with me all that night and said what you did, I realized that a true ninja, a true warrior, does not blindly trust what he is told. Prejudices and fear can get in the way but we all have a conscience, even Foot ninja, and he ignored his. He chose to act and he paid for his choice with his life. His choice wasn't my fault."

"Do you wish it was?" Sensei asked.

Leo was silent for a long moment, staring up at his beloved father with every ounce of admiration, love and honour he possessed. "No," he affirmed. "But sometimes I wish I could take it back, bring back to life all them I killed. Is that wrong?"

Splinter smiled at him as he said. "No, my Leonardo. It is wise and compassionate, and I am proud of you for wanting to restore what was lost, but think on this: If your wish were granted, you would have that many more enemies to protect your brothers from."

"That's true," Leo agreed with a small smile. "I still don't like trying to kill you, though."

Splinter nodded. "Then how about we meditate instead?" he offered.

Leo grinned outright at him. "Do you have to ask?" he wondered.

Sensei chuckled as he took Leo's batons and set them all back on the weapons rack. "Sometimes I wonder why I do," he admitted as he turned away to his rooms.

Leo trotted to catch up, smiling and feeling lighter because he hadn't realized that his heart had been heavy in the first place.

Meditation didn't last long. Less than an hour later, there was a bang, a crash and a resounding roar of "MIKEY!"

Neither turtle nor rat flinched at the noise but both sets of eyes snapped open, their meditation rhythms broken, and Leo sighed. "I'll take care of it, Sensei," he said as he rose.

"I think I will accompany you, regardless," replied Splinter, getting to his feet and following Leo out the rice paper doors.

Stepping into the living room, Leo's skin tingled with approaching movement and he skillfully side-stepped into the path of the incoming, catching his baby brother in both hands as he tried to run past. "Whoa, Mike!" he exclaimed when Mikey stumbled and almost fell. "What happened?"

"Uh, nothing really. Raph's just being sensitive." Mikey tried to smile but there was no denying the fear in his eyes.

"Sensitive!?" A snarl came from the side. "I'll show ya sensitive, Mikey!" Raphael advanced like a tiger, growling with tense muscles and bared teeth.

Leo didn't really mind Raph's stance but when his hand twitched over his sai, he moved: swinging Mikey around, he tucked him between the wall and his shell, and stood in front of him. His hands were loose at his sides; he didn't want to draw his weapon on his brother. Not today. "That's enough, Raph," he warned.

"Quit bein' the protector all the time!" his brother bit out. "He's not a kid anymore. He can fight his own battles."

"I do not think Michelangelo wishes to fight his brother," a soft voice murmured from the shadowed doorway. Leo had completely forgotten about Splinter but he stepped forward now, his coal-coloured eyes calm but firm as he regarded the red-banded turtle. "There is such a thing as temperance, my son," he continued. "Perhaps a hundred flips will bring the lesson home?"

Raph seethed under the rat's hard stare.

There was a reason Leonardo was the leader: his ability to come up with plans on the fly was almost revered, and certainly came in handy for tight spots. Leo half-turned to Sensei, saying, "Father, if I may? Raph's just restless. Let me take him out into the tunnels for a run. We won't go topside. We won't go farther than a few miles."

His request was met with stunned silence and then, "Don't need ya coddlin' me, Fearless."

Leo couldn't help rolling his eyes. "Then by all means, do your one hundred flips," he replied smoothly, glancing at him sidelong. "But you and I both know that if you don't do something physical about your irritation with whatever this is, then you'll be doing another one hundred within the hour."

Beside him, Mikey snorted but quickly clammed up when Raph glared at him. In his peripheral, Sensei was trying not to smile.

Leo turned back to Splinter. "Father?" he pressed.

Splinter met his gaze squarely, measuring. "Agreed. Raphael, go with your brother. I expect your attitude to be changed upon your return."

Raph's amber eyes flashed but dimmed with obedience and shame. "Hai, Sensei," he muttered.

Leo jerked his head toward the door, making sure Raph went ahead of him to keep him from hitting Mikey. His brother stalked to the door, and Leo, making sure he had his phone with him, followed him out.

-:-:-:-

Leo set an even pace, jogging pleasurably through the dank tunnels. The route he had chosen was a favourite of his brother's, though he had been certain to keep his face blank as they'd chosen the right fork only a hundred yards from the lair. The route was a little long, close to eight miles as a roundtrip, but there were several shafts, pipes and pools along the way that would be very pretty this time of year, still more than half-frozen into waterfalls and unstable rinks. Theirs breaths steamed in the air as they moved, and Leo kept an eye out for ice.

Beside him, Raphael was sullenly silent for the first quarter, his breathing more like growling off the echoing stone, but Leo didn't comment. He let him work out his frustrations on his own; it was something he had only recently learned in order to defuse the tension that so often sprang up between them. After all, running and chatting (lecturing) were difficult to do at the same time.

As they finished the second mile, Leo noticed Raph relaxing. The intensity in his face eased, the irritation in his eyes vanished, and his stiff-with-suppressed-rage movements smoothed. Leo saw his opportunity and took it, gently nudging his irritable brother with an elbow and a smile.

Raph glanced at him, startled, but saw his expression. He chuffed, shaking his head. "Yer insufferable, ya know that?" His tone was gruff, slightly breathless from the run, but there was humour in it.

Leo allowed himself to grin. "You say it like I don't know," he quipped. "I've been insufferable for years!"

Raph chuckled at that. How Leo loved to hear the hot-headed ninja laugh! "Makes me wonder how ya ever got ta be leader."

"I just chalk it up to one of the Mysteries of Life and move on," offered the blue-masked turtle.

"Mystery of Life, indeed," Raph concurred in a humorous grumble as he elbowed him in the ribs. "C'mon, enough wastin' breath. We got six more miles ta go."

Two miles from the lair, on the homestretch, they had to be careful here: a narrow but deep channel ran through the tunnel, with walkways on either side. Bits if ice and debris floated swiftly down. This particular area was dangerous because the tunnel suddenly veered away but the channel kept going, disappearing under the wall for however long it took to drain out. While Raphael had this innate ability to draw trouble to him, Leonardo had a habit of anticipating it. The fact that they were together and alone should have been a warning for Leo but as it was, he didn't really think about it (mostly because it was his birthday and he was enjoying his time with Raph) until their turtle luck reared its ugly head in the form of…

"Raph, watch out!" Leo saw the unnatural shadows a split second before ten Foot ninja leaped around the corner at them, steel gleaming in the gloom. He unsheathed his right katana first, brandishing it in his left hand and side-stepping a sword thrust, just as he pushed his brother back with his free, right hand.

"Aw, shell!" Raph hissed as he unleashed both sai. "What're ya guys doin' here?"

"It is a cold day out," one of the ninja replied, sweeping a naginata from his back, "and Master Shredder is in the mood for turtle soup."

"I'll bet he is!" Leo spat, unsheathing his second katana. Ducking and coming up under a swing, he slashed his opponent in his vulnerable belly. He shoved him away and turned to take two katana from two separate ninja on his crossed swords. "Can't we leave this for tomorrow or how about some time next week?"

"What's the matter, freak? Is it your birthday?" sneered one.

Leo was very glad that his brother was busy with enemies of his own because he never heard the comment, nor did he see honourable, always-fight-by-the-rules Leo shift his weight, still keeping his balance despite the crossed katana, and kick the sneering fellow in the groin. With his buddy suddenly on the floor, the second ninja staggered under the turtle's strength. Leo pushed him back with a shing of metal on metal and kicked at his head, downing him, too.

Looking for his brother, he saw that between the two of them, they'd taken out half the squad; Raph had also backed himself into a corner to inhibit the Foot with closer quarters. His sai shimmered in the faint light as he slashed and stabbed, and Leo rushed to aid him, neatly disarming one and slamming his left pommel into his face, and slicing the tendons of another's legs. Both dropped and now there were only three left.

"Looks like yer luck just ran out," Raph said with a smirk when Leo took a stance behind the three remaining Foot. "Care ta rethink yer life choices?"

"We are loyal to the Shredder," one declared. "We are honour-bound to do his bidding!"

Leo sighed and tried not to think about his conversation with Sensei barely two hours ago. "You know," he said softly, "you're always the first to throw punches. We only act to defend ourselves and the innocent. Sometimes I wish you were more honour-bound to Bushido than to Shredder. Sometimes I wish you would just grow a conscience. Maybe then you'd leave us alone."

Raph met his gaze with wide eyes, and Leo kicked himself mentally for being such a sap in the middle of a freaking war – which held true when the declared-loyal-minion whipped around and thrusted towards Leo's gut with a hissed "Freak!"

The fight was back on as Leo parried and back-fisted him, sword in hand, in the face before slicing at his shoulder and then at his leg in quick succession. Leaving his enemy on the ground, he cut at the first of the last two ganged up on Raph. The man was a knife-wielder and threw a shuriken at his face. Leo barely managed to avoid the star but got his cheek nicked anyway. The ninja palmed three more, tucking them between his fingers, and loosed. The blue-masked turtle used his swords to deflect them expertly back at their owner, and they imbedded themselves in his chest; he dropped.

"Leo!"

Leo spun at his name and only twelve years of ninjutsu training saved him as he instinctively swept his left katana across his body, effectively blocking the thrust aimed for him by the ninja with the broken nose; blood seeped through his mask and dribbled onto his black uniform. Leo didn't give the ninja time to react. V-stepping to the left, he used his momentum to bring more strength into the vicious cut that beheaded his opponent.

"Stand down!" a voice that was not Raph's shouted.

Leo looked up and his cold-blooded veins iced over: Raph's sai were on the ground; Raph was kneeling on the ground; and the last ninja stood behind him, his katana point at the base of his neck, just above the shell's rim.

He sheathed his katana obediently but his eyes were thin slits of hatred as he shifted.

 _I will not lose my brother on today of all days!_

It was his only thought as he lunged forward and leaped, tackling their enemy to the side – and right into the icy channel.

"LEO!" he heard his brother bellow a second before they were swept under the wall.

They punched and pummeled each other as the river carried them down the tunnel. Leo had the advantage of being an aquatic reptile: all he had to do was outlast him. But Fate had its own ideas. The tunnel steepened sharply and turtle and man slid down an incline that Leo was pretty sure Don would know the degree of, but he was too distracted when their heads burst through the water and something dull metal grazed his collarbone. Leo grabbed the kunai before it did more damage and punched the ninja in the face for good measure. The man went limp in the water.

Then the tunnel ended and Leo found himself falling. As much as he wanted to do the honourable thing and save the man who had almost killed him and his brother, Leo knew he wouldn't be able to save anyone if he was dead.

His reaching hands found something solid and he clenched hold with all his might as he swung, using his momentum, and landed plastron-down on an old, wooden beam. Wrapping his arms and legs around the slick wood, he shut his eyes and prayed the deluge would end soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Crystal Violeta:** Thank you very much!

 **Natalie Ryan:** Muahahaha! Mine is an evil laugh! Stuff is definitely going to happen on his birthday. ;)

 **tmntlover2013:** Thank you so much!

 **yukio87:** Thank you! Unfortunately, a few things must happen before Leo gets saved.

 **Guest:** Thank you kindly! Here's your update!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 2: Phone Calls

It came as a surprise when the emptying drain ran dry after several minutes, and Leo could only guess that a pressure gauge existed somewhere between the tunnel where he and Raph had been and wherever he was now, which allowed water through at intervals. He was still soaking wet which was definitely not a good thing in the freezing chamber but at least he wasn't getting any wetter. The sudden letup gave him the freedom to unwrap his limbs very slowly and take inventory of his surroundings. It was a tall, narrow shaft, somewhere around ten feet across if his beam was any indicator and fifteen, possibly twenty feet deep. At least, based on his hearing, he guessed that the water at the bottom was fifteen or twenty feet away. How deep it was below the water line, he had no idea, and he had no intention of finding out. There was a large grate overhead, some seven feet away, and gloomy light filtered through.

Leo took a moment to admire the half-frozen waterfall that coated the wall on his left and directly beneath the drain through which he'd fallen. It was definitely too steep to try climbing back up that way. The other walls were frosted over but appeared to offer decent holds if he had any climbing gear. It was too bad he didn't have his shuko with him. The one day he didn't take his shuko or even his grappling hook… He rolled his eyes at himself. Idiot.

Sitting atop the frozen, half-rotten beam, he took stock of his injuries. Aside from his cut cheek and collarbone, he felt fine. Okay, maybe a bruise or two from the ride down the sewer's slip 'n' slide but other than that, he was whole and intact.

He didn't have to have Don's intellectual calibre to know that he was stuck. He hoped Raph was alright and that he got home safely. He half-hoped his brothers would come get him. He really didn't want to… _stay_ …here. It was his birthday, dang it! Why couldn't Fate have cut him a break?

"It had to happen today," he murmured aloud, his voice echoing off the stone walls.

-:-:-:-

There really wasn't much for him to do. Geez, there had to be something! But he didn't want to risk shifting around on his beam too much; wedged though it was against both walls, it was at a slight angle and the wrong move would be all it would take to send him plummeting into the inky water below. Then he would really be in trouble. Not that he wasn't in it already. He was shivering and his breath formed wreaths around his head. A mutant he was but he was still (according to Don) about ninety percent cold-blooded, and while he and his brothers could generate some body heat, it was minimal, and they relied heavily on electricity and blankets. Lots and lots of blankets. With hot water bottles tucked against them. And maybe, if they were at the farmhouse, a roaring fire in the fireplace…

 _I am warm, I am warm, I am warm_ , he chanted to himself, shutting his eyes so he wouldn't have to see the icy walls or his breath in the air. Mind over matter. If he thought it hard enough, his brain would eventually acknowledge it as truth and respond. At least, that's what Splinter had taught them. He'd never put it into practice, though, and he wasn't at all sure that this was what Sensei had had in mind when he'd taught the lesson. Still, it was this or freeze to death more quickly.

Rrrrriiiiiing. Rrrrrrriiiiing.

Leo blinked at the noise and then his hand snatched at his belt in awe. 'Thank you, Donatello!" he hissed under his breath. His genius brother had designed their phones to withstand severe beatings, long falls and water submergence for two hours without damage. Still, he couldn't believe that he'd forgotten he had it. His heart leaped at the name on the call display and he spoke rapidly after he pressed the little green button, holding the phone to his ear. "Raph? Raph, are you okay?"

His brother's voice was a low growl as he spoke: " _Am I okay?_ Am I okay? _Leo, yer the one who had ta go and play the hero and fall into that river and get swept away ta who knows where and that's not countin' whatever might have happened ta ya durin' our freakin' battle with the freakin' Foot and yer askin' me if_ I'm okay?"

Leo waited patiently, his silence filled with meaning.

Raph answered quietly and softly. " _I'm okay. Are_ you _okay?_ "

"You know, I've technically had worse days." Trust his sense of humour to shine through when he was in dire situations. He had terrible timing. "It's just a couple cuts and bruises," he added more seriously.

" _That's good. I got Don and Mikey with me. Yer on speaker. Don's trackin' yer signal._ "

"Oh, good. Hi, guys!"

" _Hiya, Leo._ " Mikey's voice was tiny and Leo barely caught it over the echoing drip, drip of water.

"Hey, Mike. How's your day going?"

" _Um…it was pretty good. Then Raph got home._ "

Leo closed his eyes. His imagination was all too detailed in supplying his family's expressions when Raphael had walked through the door without him. "Sorry I ruined your day," he said.

" _Ya ruined nothin', Fearless!_ " Raph bit out. " _It's just bad luck!_ "

Yeah. That was all this was. Bad luck. Leo snorted at the lie. This had happened because he'd let ten Foot ninja get the jump on him and his little brother. This had happened because he was an idiot.

" _Guys, I got him!_ " Don's voice came in as a crackle over the line. " _Wait… Leo, you're_ there?!"

"I don't even know where there is but…yeah? What's the problem?"

" _The problem is there is no way we can get to you as fast as we want to. The only way to you is taking the K19._ "

Leo's heart sank. He wasn't far from the lair, he knew, but his brothers would have to go around for miles to reach him because there was no direct access to his location. It would take hours because they didn't dare sprint through the treacherous tunnels – he and Raph had barely run faster than a light jog – not with the ice and debris. They would have to be careful. The K19 tunnel also ran dangerously close to some construction currently under way (Don kept a dutiful eye on workers whenever they were down here and informed the family so they knew of where to steer clear). One thing he had to admire about New York was that every season was construction season. Although he didn't admire it right now.

"That's okay," he said, forcing his voice to be steady and not give away the fact that he was shivering. "I can wait."

" _Leo, we're talking about three hours! You're wet, you're exposed! You're in serious danger of hypothermia!_ "

"My bad," he mumbled. "I can handle mild hypothermia, Don."

" _It won't stay mild is my point!_ "

Leo's shoulders sagged at his brother's anger. "Don't yell at me, Donnie. Not today," he said, trying not to beg. "I'm stuck on a beam fifteen feet above an abyss in almost complete darkness with a grate too far away to reach, and I've got none of my climbing gear with me. Why didn't I take anything with me?"

" _Leo, bro, it was a run,_ " Raph reminded him, slightly gruff and slightly gentle. " _I would have made ya leave yer grapplin' hook behind if I thought ya'd bring it._ "

"Shuko don't weigh much," Leo pointed out.

" _Fine. Ya suck. Yer a terrible leader with no concept of preparation. Is that what ya wanna hear?_ "

" _Raph, that's a terrible thing to say!_ " rebuked their youngest brother.

" _Yeah, well, he had it comin'. A leader's supposed to be prepared, ain't he?_ "

 _I will never leave home without my shuko again,_ Leo thought desperately. About to answer, he was distracted by a curious, rushing roar that set his heart pounding.

"Aw, shell, no. Call you guys back." He hung up and quickly stowed the phone in his belt, wrapping his limbs around the wood just in time to suffer a pounding of water on his shell. He tucked his head under his carapace to protect it the best he could, shut his eyes and waited.

-:-:-:-

It was a long wait. At least, it felt like a long wait. It could have been a minute. It could have been twenty minutes. Regardless of how long the water pummeled him, it ran dry at last and the first thing Leo did was crawl slowly forward on his beam, tentatively testing the weight before proceeding another inch. The beam held steady – one thing going right in this mess – and he halted some feet away from where he'd been, finally out from under the downpour of February-chilled water. It occurred to him that his cell was ringing.

"Hey, Raph. How's it?" he asked, trying to be chip. Geez, he was cold! No, no. He was warm. He was so very, very warm.

" _Leo, what in the actual shell happened?_ " his brother demanded shrilly. " _Ya just disconnected on us!_ "

"I told you I'd call you back. Nothing happened, Raph. It's fine." His little brothers didn't need to know that he'd lost five feet below his toes. He still couldn't see the waterline but he could hear it. Yep. It was fifteen feet from him. His original guess of fifteen to twenty feet had been spot-on.

" _Is it going to remain fine until we get you out of there?_ " Don's voice was dangerously soft and Leo knew his genius brother knew.

Of all the times he had to hate lying! Just once, he wanted to be able to spare his brothers' feelings. "Uh…no?"

" _Elaborate on that._ "

"The drain empties periodically," he replied after a moment's hesitation. "I just lost five feet under me but the water's still fifteen feet from where I am right now."

" _How much room do you have between you and the grate?_ "

"Seven feet, give or take a few inches."

" _How long between dumps?_ "

"I'm not sure… It was the first one after I got stuck down here."

" _Every half hour if Raph's timing on how fast he got home is accurate. How much water came down?_ "

"Oh, geez, Don! I don't know!" These questions were not helping him stay calm. He knew Donatello was trying to work out just how much time he had left until he drowned. It was not comforting.

" _Stop it, Donnie!_ " grumbled Raph. " _Leo's got enough ta worry 'bout without ya yammerin'_."

There was a short scuffle and then Don's voice came in clearly over the line; the phone was no longer on speaker: " _Leo? Leo, you have to listen to me. We're coming to you, all right? But it's going to be very close. I don't know exactly how big and wide that shaft is but…we're coming. Okay? One way or another, we'll be there inside of three hours._ "

Leo made sure his brother could hear his smile as he said, "You've never been wrong before, Don. I'll see you guys in three hours."

" _Okay. How much battery life do you have left?_ "

Leo checked. "Twenty-two percent."

" _Okay. Okay, that's fine_." Clearly, it wasn't. " _Your phone won't last if we stay on the line the whole time but we've got your location and we're on our way. Call every half hour, got it?_ "

"How about whenever we feel like it? You call me, I call you."

" _Deal… See you soon, Leo._ "

"Bye, Donnie."

Click.

Leo lowered the phone slowly and then eyed the water he still couldn't see below. "Stay there," he told it. "You're not going to prove my brother wrong today. Not today."

There was no answer. Mind, if there were, he would have been more worried than he already was.

-:-:-:-

Twenty-eight minutes later, after a deluge that had missed landing on him, his phone rang and he picked up, already smiling. "Mikey. My favourite orange-masked turtle," he greeted.

" _Hear that guys? I'm his favourite!_ " Mikey quipped smugly.

" _He said orange, Mike,_ " Raph growled. " _Stop bein' a moron._ "

"Raph," Leo warned. "Don't call him names." It was a not-so-subtle reminder that they had agreed long ago to avoid confrontation, especially name-calling, during missions.

There was a beat of silence and then Raph murmured, " _Sorry, Fearless._ " There was definitely more than one meaning in his brother's voice and Leo had to smile.

"Don't you worry, Raph," he said gently. "There's nothing you guys can't do when you work together. Trust me to know."

" _If ya say so…_ "

" _Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're awesome,_ " Mikey interrupted. " _That's great. Tell us later. How are_ you _doing? You hanging in there?_ "

That startled a laugh from him. "That is _all_ I'm doing, Mikey!" he managed to say through his chortles. "Sitting on a beam here."

" _Oh, right. Oops. But, like, you're okay? Don's nearly having a polka-plexy over here because you're probably cold._ "

"Apoplexy," Leo and Don corrected at the same time. "Actually, it's really not that bad. I just keep telling myself that I'm warm and my brain's slowly believing me. I stopped shivering ten minutes ago."

" _How'd you do that?_ " Don demanded.

"Splinter taught us. In his defence, I don't think he thought I'd use the technique in quite this fashion."

" _Yeah. He was tellin' it fer the brain's registration to pain. Guess it works fer the cold, huh?_ "

" _Can you still move your fingers? Your appendages are the first to cramp up._ "

"I have full motor control, Doctor Donatello," Leo replied primly. "Shall I inform you of any changes?"

" _Do. And if you call me 'doctor' one more time, I'm going to give you something that will actually require doctoring._ "

Leo chuckled and Mike, ever the observer, immediately pounced. " _Why the good mood, bro? I mean, you're stuck in a hole after getting your butt kicked by the Foot. What's going on?_ "

Leo sobered instantly. He couldn't tell them. Geez, they'd forgotten! He couldn't tell them that they'd forgotten his birthday! He had to tread carefully here. "First off," he began, "Raph and I totally kicked the Foot's butt. Second, a positive attitude in the face of danger never goes amiss. Besides, today didn't start off so badly, did it?"

" _Well, no. I mean, yeah, it was fun to play video games with you and all but…"_

"But nothing." Leo brought his leader-voice to the table. "It's still a good day. We can still turn this around. Like Raph said, our turtle luck just sucks. Of course, running into the Foot just had to happen on today of all days but, still, Mike, the day's still salvageable."

There was evident disbelief in his baby brother's voice as he said, " _Leo…today's fluffy goodness still has to make a reappearance from rescuing you._ "

"Consider it an exercise," Leo suggested. "Master Splinter has purposefully asked me to sit here and you guys have to track, find and rescue my shell. You guys started with fifty points. Points are deducted if I'm wounded at any time and points are added for staying upbeat and not bickering."

" _Shut up, Leo. This ain't trainin'. This is serious._ "

Leo held back a sigh but contented himself with rolling his eyes. "I'm keeping track of points," he decided to say. "But I'm not going to enlighten you. You're just going to have to suffer the final grade when we get home."

" _Oh, for the love of…_ "

"Nice chat, guys. I'll call you in half an hour. Got to reserve my battery somehow."

Despite his humour, Leo's heart twitched as he ended the call. His phone read that he had seventeen percent left. He really had to talk to Don about pumping up their shell-cells' ability to preserve battery life. A couple phone calls really drained them. He had to be more careful.

His phone chirped with a text from Mikey. _How many points are we at?_

Leo laughed and typed, _Nice try, little brother. I'll tell you when we get home._

-:-:-:-

The fact that he almost welcomed the rushing noise of the emptying drain was alarming; he really was bored down here. He lost six feet in the next deluge. He called Don when it was over. "I lost six feet" was his greeting since he knew Don hated beating around the bush in dire situations.

Don cursed. Actually cursed. " _There goes that plan_ ," he grumbled. " _You still okay?_ "

"Yep. Not much to do in here, I'll tell you that."

" _How much room do you have left below?_ "

"…Four. The next drain to empty and I'll be in the water."

Leo distinctly heard Raphael swear.

" _We're more than halfway to you_ ," his immediate younger brother replied. " _Another hour, tops_."

"You're making good time," Leo complimented.

" _Yeah, well, maybe I don't want to see a good day ruined either_."

Leo smiled into the receiver. "Today was a good day, wasn't it?"

His phone beeped shrilly, cutting off whatever his brother said. A quick glance told him he had ten percent of the battery left.

" _Leo? You still there?_ "

"I'm always here, Don," he replied, trying to smile again.

" _What was that noise?_ "

He answered as smoothly and emotionlessly as possible. "My phone was just letting me know how much life it has left."

" _That's ten percent. I really need to work on that._ "

"In your defence, I think it's also the cold that's sucking the life out of it, too, not just the phone calls."

" _Hey! Maybe the shell-cells are cold-blooded, too?_ " Mikey piped up.

" _Shut up, Mikey_."

"The points, Raphael," Leo reminded them smugly. "Remember the points."

" _Forget yer points, Fearless! This is no time for games!_ "

"If you have a better idea to keep your minds of my impending death, I'd love to hear it, Raph!" snapped the eldest, his nerves worn thin.

There was a beat of silence and Leo groaned, dropping his face into his free hand. "I did not mean to say it like that," he muttered.

" _We're going to get you out, Leo,_ " said Mikey, and Leo heard the desperate conviction for both of them – for all four of them.

"I know you are, Mike. I'm sorry. It's just… today was going so well."

Mikey said something in reply but he didn't hear him. His ears were too focused on something else: groaning of wood on stone. He stiffened, forcing every muscle in his body to cease moving.

" _Leo?_ "

"Sorry, bro. I didn't catch that. What'd you say?"

" _I said…_ "

The beam groaned again and then the higher end slid a full two inches. Leo held his breath as the beam held steady for a handful of seconds and then it grated against the concrete wall, giving out entirely.

His brothers had heard the noise because they were shouting at him but Leo couldn't answer them as his body hit the freezing water only four feet down. He almost let go of the phone but he forced his fingers to clench harder and hold the device above the water. While Don had designed the shell-cells to be water-proof, Leo never took chances, especially when his life depended on it.

Don, Raph and Mikey were still screaming at him, desperate and scared. With chattering teeth and treading water, Leo put the phone to his ear.

"Sorry, guys," he said. "The beam collapsed. I guess it couldn't take my weight any longer." He tried to laugh but it got caught around his shivers.

" _Are you okay?_ " Mikey asked, his voice tremulous.

"Yep. Not even a scratch."

" _What'd you land on?_ " Donatello's voice was sharp.

"Nothing, Don. I'm not hurt."

There was a reason Donnie was the genius. " _You landed in the water. You're in the water!_ "

"It's actually not that bad," Leo said thinly. "You get used to it pretty quickly."

" _Get used to… Leo! You need to get out. Now._ "

"I c-can't! The walls are too slick, one of them is c-covered in ice! There's nothing for me to hold onto! Fate, why couldn't this have held off 'til tomorrow?"

" _What's so special about today, Leo?_ " asked Mikey. " _That's the third or fourth time you've mentioned today. What's up?_ "

Leo paused, very aware of the intense silence on the other end of the line, and he scrambled to come up with something that was not a lie. "Nothing, Mikey. I was just having a good day with my bros, that's all, and then our turtle luck just had to rear its ugly head and ruin it. Listen, I got to hang up. Next time, I will call you."

-:-:-:-

He made good on his promise only after Old Faithful poured down on him, forcing him to cling to whatever he could, and bringing him closer to the grate by another six feet. Now that he was in the water, he had to make sure that he stayed away from the downpour, or risk getting trapped and drowning. He was also shivering hard, and he almost accidentally called Casey whose name was just above Don's in his contact list.

Don picked up halfway through the first ring. " _Hey, Leo. We're about an hour out._ "

That caught his attention. "You s-said that half an-n hour ago. What h-happened?"

" _Construction crew,_ " Mikey supplied.

" _We had to take a side route around them. We're still coming, don't worry._ "

"If you t-tell me not t-o, then I'll t-try not to. I j-just wanted to c-call."

" _When do you ever call just to call?_ " Donnie teased. " _You're always calling to check up on us, ask us where we are, what we're doing, who we're with, when we're coming home._ "

"A b-big brother's g-got to worry about s-something."

" _You worry too much._ "

"I know. J-just think how m-much of a wreck I'd b-be if it were an-ny of you guys here ins-stead."

" _Oh, Fate! The horror!_ " Don said with a laugh, and Leo heard his brothers chuckle.

They trailed off into silence and then Leo had to speak. "Hey, Don?"

" _Yeah?_ "

"Thanks for l-letting me hang out with y-you in your lab this m-morning. I had f-fun."

There was alarm and puzzlement in his brother's voice as he said quietly, " _I had fun, too._ "

"M-Mikey?"

" _What's up, bro?_ "

"I enjoyed p-playing v-video games with you and helping you m-make lunch, and I'm sorry I b-burned the grilled cheese sandw-wiches."

Mikey laughed. " _Burned sandwiches aside, bro, we should do it more often. Sometimes I feel like we only hang out once a year._ "

"But it g-gives me something to look f-forward to every year," Leo replied kindly. "Raph?"

His brother didn't answer, and Leo had to wonder if his brother hated him for getting into this situation, hated him for fighting with him all the time, hated him for everything…

" _IT'S YER BIRTHDAY!_ "

The sudden scream made Leo drop the phone and he snatched for it just in time, still hearing Raphael shout at him: " _It's yer freakin' birthday and ya didn't tell us! Why didn't ya tell us?!_ " He cut off abruptly, probably wondering why they would need to be told in the first place.

" _Wait, what?_ " Mikey gasped. " _No, that's not right. Leo's birthday isn't until…_ " He trailed off suddenly. Then: " _Leo?_ " he asked, his voice tiny. " _Is it true? Did we forget your birthday?_ "

Leo exhaled heavily. Great. Just great. "I just…didn't w-want the attention." He couldn't help that his voice was small, defeated and ashamed. It didn't help that he could barely get the words out from cold. "I wanted to s-spend it how I wanted. I d-didn't want a p-party or presents. I j-just wanted to spend t-time with you. My g-gift to myself was o-only ever spending t-time with you." He hoped that appeased them, that genuine display of love and affection.

" _Why didn't ya tell us, Fearless?_ " whispered Raph.

"I guess…I guess I d-didn't want you guys to f-feel bad. I don't m-mind you guys forgetting. It actually m-made it more f-fun for me. Don's f-face this morning w-when I told Mikey I'd p-play video games with him was p-priceless. I almost r-ruptured something, I was t-trying so h-hard not to l-laugh." He chortled, a soft and strained sound amidst the lapping water in the echoing shaft. "Y-you know me, guys," he continued. "I'm a r-regular, ol' s-stick in the mud. What m-makes you think th-that I'd b-be any l-less of one at m-my own p-party?"

He had them there, and Raphael sighed. " _Fearless, when we get home, we're gonna have a serious chat._ "

"I've n-no d-doubt," he replied dryly.

" _Think warm thoughts, bro. We're almost ta ya._ "

"Yeah. Ok-kay. D-Donnie?"

" _What is it, Leo?_ "

"I… c-can't really feel my f-fingers. And my f-feet are numb… Y-you told me to k-keep you p-posted," he added, as if that would somehow make the situation better.

" _I did._ " The two words were an exhaled breath of fear. " _Stay on the line, Leo. I don't care about preserving battery life. You stay on the line. Got it?_ "

"S-sure thing, F-Fearless Leader."

" _You're not dead yet,_ " his brother growled at him. " _Don't you go handing off your mantle willy-nilly like that._ "

"S-sorry. Just c-covering my b-bases."

" _Save it for later. Much, much later!_ "

"You g-got it." Leo leaned his head against the wall. Oddly enough, the cool stone eased his headache…

" _LEONARDO!_ "

Leo snapped open his eyes with a start and nearly dropped his shell-cell again. "Yeah? What?" he garbled.

Over Mike's and Raph's cries of " _Are you okay? What happened?_ ", Don's voice soared: " _You weren't answering! You cannot fall asleep! You'll drown before we even get to you!_ "

"S-sorry, Don."

" _Don't give me your sorries. Give me your promise!_ "

Leo blinked. His youngest brothers fell silent, and he knew why. His brothers normally didn't make him promise anything because they knew he would never break it – his honour wouldn't permit it. Promises were a major deal to him, and he never made one lightly.

" _Hamato Leonardo, promise me now!_ "

"I p-promise." And then a loophole. "Until you c-come get me, I p-promise that I won't f-fall asleep."

Donnie growled in his ear but it would have to do. " _Talk,_ " he commanded. " _If you're talking, you're conscious._ "

"Wh-what should I t-talk about?"

" _Why doncha tell us how ya managed ta keep the fact that it's yer birthday hidden?_ " Raph suggested. " _I mean, how'd ya do it?_ "

It was the cold that made him say without thinking, "P-practice. This is the f-fifth year in a row…"

No answer.

"G-guys? You s-still there?"

" _You mean…we've forgotten your birthday_ five times _? In a_ row _?_ " Mikey sounded as if all the video games, comic books, candy, pizza and puppies in the world went up in a fiery explosion in front of his eyes.

Oops. Well, it wasn't like he could lie his way out. "I don't m-mind, Mike. Really."

" _It doesn't matter if you mind or not!_ " Mikey snapped at him. " _It's your birthday! You're our brother! We're your brothers! You remind us of everything else so why didn't you remind us of this? And don't you dare say that it was to spare us guilt or whatever!_ "

"F-fine, I won't say it."

" _That's your only reason!?_ "

Leo sighed. Damage control when he'd messed up was always his favourite thing to do. Oh, joy. "M-Mike, baby brother, listen. I hate parties. I hate attention. B-but one thing I hate more is making you guys f-feel bad just because you forgot this m-minor detail in our lives."

" _Birthdays aren't minor, Fearless!_ " Raph snarled.

His anger sparked and the words, uninhibited by his shivers, poured out. "Really? Considering what we do on a regular basis? We patrol a massive city. We fight off gangs and ninja armies and Bishop. We stop car thieves, muggers and rapists. We train. We train for hours under Father and then you train with me. That's also if April and Casey don't come over. That's also if Earth isn't invaded, or we're zapped around the galaxy or even the time-stream. I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I wonder how we're not dead yet. So there is no way that, on top of all that, I'm going to guilt-trip my little brothers just because of one day out of the year!"

" _Well,_ " Don said slowly, " _when you put it that way, I guess I can see your logic. But then tell me one thing, Leo: if birthdays are so minor, why do you always go out of your way to make ours so great?_ "

"We're having _this_ argument now?" Leo demanded. "No. No. Before we even start, allow me to finish. You always come first. No matter what. Whether it's during a battle or at home, you will always come first."

" _Because you're the leader, huh?_ " snubbed Raphael.

"Because I'm the big brother!" Leo shouted. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "You are my baby brothers," he went on more calmly. "You are my family, and Sensei, too. I can't…I _won't_ put myself first for anything if you're involved. It's how it is," he added with a shrug, "but I wouldn't have it any other way."

Mikey's voice was horrified as he said, " _But…Leo…one of these days…that's going to get you killed._ "

Leo exhaled, watched his breath mist in the freezing air, and looked around at his watery prison which soon could possibly be his watery grave. He heard an incoming rush. He would not say it. He would not say the words that haunted his heart and mouth – _I think that day's today_. What he did say was, "I got to let you go. I need my hands to hang onto the wall or I'm going to get sucked under the downpour."

" _Call us as soon as it's over,_ " ordered Donnie.

He didn't respond; he had no time. Disconnecting and tucking the phone between his teeth, he dug his fingers into the frosty concrete and waited, inching upwards with the rising water.

Fate blessed him with a small mercy: what he had gauged to be seven feet between him on the beam and the grate was really seven feet and seven inches. His head brushed the bars and he instinctively grabbed hold, only to realize his error when his soaking skin melded to the frozen metal. He tore them free, spitting a curse around the phone still in his jaws, before they could freeze there, and he felt warm blood ooze from his palms and finger pads when several layers of skin were ripped off.

The waves from the deluge subsided after several intense moments. The water lapped around his chin but at least he still had air. He knew at a glance that the bars were too close together to attempt sticking his head through and thus gaining more time. Another glance told him that the grate was frozen in its place. Even if his hands were bone dry, he'd never be able to get it loose on his own.

Taking the cell in one, aching hand, he made to dial Don but his phone wouldn't turn on.

"Oh, no," he whispered, staring at the blank, black screen. "No."

-:-

Please review.


	3. Chapter 3

**yukio87:** Leo is in a ton of trouble right now but at least he knows his brothers are on the way! I'll say nothing more here. :)

 **Guest:** I love that you love it! I loved writing it. This chapter took me the longest time to figure out and I'm glad that it turned out as well as it did.

 **Insanity 21:** (Flattered that you're also following and reviewing 'Brother Mine'.) Thank you so much!

 **Guest:** Apparently, I love cliffhangers far too much. That's my bad. I will tell you nothing here but, please, continue reading for further information. ;)

 **wooftmnt:** His logic really is flawed, isn't it?

 **StitcherBell:** You tell him, StitcherBell!

 **Natalie Ryan:** I'm thrilled you found it gripping! Raphael is more intuitive than his brothers give him credit for, that's for sure.

 **TheMaskedTimelord:** Like I said, it's a disease. If you know of a cure for the love of cliffhangers, let me know. ;) And thank you for loving another of my stories.

 **tarin2014tfan:** Thank you! That's kind of you! :)

 **jlin678:** Thank you so much! I do plan on finishing this fic, definitely. :)

 **DragonChild157:** Um...my bad? :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 3: Happy Birthday

He was alone now, very and absolutely alone. He tucked the phone into his belt, not wanting to keep it clenched in his teeth and not caring that the phone would get water-logged. He tried pushing against the grate's sides, staying as much as he could away from the metal, but he was just so tired and everything hurt and it was frozen.

He closed his eyes, warm tears trickling down his cheeks, and then immediately snapped them open again. No. No, he would not despair. He would not fall asleep. He would stay alert and conscious and alive. He would not give up. He had promised.

'G-guys?" His voice came out in a tremulous rasp. He licked his lips, cleared his throat. "Guys? D-Don? Raph? Mikey? I'm over here!" He paused to listen. Nothing. Not even an echo of footsteps or whispers. His resolve didn't waver and he shouted. "Guys! Guys, I'm over here! Donatello! Raphael! Michelangelo! Over here!" Another pause. More nothing.

He shouted himself hoarse and when nothing more than a weak gasp came out of his mouth, he still continued calling for his brothers. They had to get here. He didn't want them to find his body today, not today.

His throat ached, his hands no longer stung and he couldn't feel much below his knees or maybe his hips... He half-treaded, half-floated, his numb hands braced against the stone above him, and there was still no answer, no sign at all of his approaching brothers. Leo's head drooped. His arms ached from holding on but still he held on. "It had to be today," he whispered.

Then, unmistakably, an unnatural noise: a rapid cadence of one, two, yes, three pairs of feet.

"LEO!"

He lifted his eyes and found blue – kind Fate bless and keep that colour forever. Mikey was above him, kneeling on the grate, and he instantly became aware that his brother's warm hands were reaching through the bars and curling around his freezing fingers. "M-Mikey," he rasped. "M-my ph-phone died."

"That's okay," his baby brother assured him. "We don't need it anymore. We got you."

"Hang on, Leo," Raph ordered, his amber eyes narrowed and intense. "We'll get ya out in a minute. Mikey, get off the grate, bro."

Mikey's reluctance to let him go was almost tangible but he obeyed, and Leo flexed his momentarily-warmed fingers.

Don smiled tightly at him. "Hey, Leo. I brought you a present." He pulled something out of his duffel and Leo had to blink several times before understanding what it was: a blow torch.

"You're a g-genius, Donnie," he whispered, a weak smile falling across his mouth.

"All right, guys. Stand clear. This will take a few minutes."

While Don got to work thawing the grate, Mikey tried to smile at him. "What do you want for your birthday dinner, Leo? Name it and I'll cook it."

As much as Leo didn't want to make a big deal out of occasions his brothers forgot, he also didn't want Mikey stuck with doing dishes (since it was his turn this week). "I was actually thinking of that Chinese place on forty-ninth. By the Lutheran church, you know?"

Mikey grinned wide. "Dude! They've got the best dumplings there! Chinese food it is!" He whipped out his phone. "We'll order once we get home but I can make a list now of what you want."

The blue-masked turtle blinked and almost forgot to reopen his eyes. "Um…Sensei likes their chow mein, and we should get ginger beef for Raph and Donnie. Maybe two cartons of dumplings, so you can have one to yourself, Mike. We can make our own vegetables and rice so we don't need to order any…and shanghai noodles."

"Hey, Leo?"

"Mm?"

"Do _you_ want anything in particular? Sesame chicken? Sweet and sour pork? Egg rolls? Battered shrimp?"

"The pork sounds good… and make that three things of dumplings. I like their dumplings."

"Well, why don't I give you mine? It'll be your birthday present."

"Only you would think a carton of dumplin's would make a good gift, Mikey," scoffed Raph.

"Be quiet, Raph, or no ginger beef for you," Mikey warned.

"But that means I won't get any either," whined Don over the flame's whoosh.

"Aw, Mike, let them have the beef," said Leo. "Want to watch a movie after dinner?"

"Thinkin' of somethin' specific, bro?"

"How about 'RED'? Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren…"

"That is one of the greatest movies ever made!" Mikey exclaimed. "When did you get such good taste?"

Completely deadpan, Leo replied, "I reserve it for special occasions."

"Clearly," Don quipped with a chuckle. "There! All right, guys, I think that did it. Pull!"

Leo allowed himself to close his eyes but stayed focused on his brothers as they grunted with strain.

"The damn thing's stuck!" Raph snarled.

"C'mon, guys! Keep pulling!"

"It can't be still frozen. There must be gunk or rust."

"Ya got a sledgehammer in that bag of yers, Braniac?"

"Raph…" Leo mumbled his warning, not liking the heat in his hotheaded brother's tone. "That's not helping…"

"Forget this! Here, Mike, catch! Don't break it. Don, use yer staff!"

A high-pitched squeal of metal on metal made Leo's teeth ache and he opened his eyes to find red-wrapped steel gouge into the grate's side. His two youngest brothers attacked with Raph's sai while Donnie braced his weight against his bo which he winkled between iron and stone.

Somewhere off to his left, in the belly of the sewers, he heard the telltale and familiar rumble of an oncoming rush of water. Oh, Fate, no. Not right now. Not when they were so close.

But just in case: "G-guys?"

"Just hold on for another couple minutes, bro. It's loosening," Mikey assured him.

"That's not… Seriously, guys. Look at me!"

Chocolate, gold and baby-blue eyes locked with navy ones.

He had to say it. Just in case. _Please, don't let this be the last time I say it._ "I…I love you guys. So much."

Water poured in. Leo took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and the water closed over his head.

He heard them shout. He heard them scream. But the words were lost in the water in his ears. He did not panic. He willed his heart to be calm because he knew a pounding heart used up more oxygen than he could spare right now. He held perfectly still, his numb fingers still braced against the stone above him, his only tie to life. Vibrations reverberated through the metal as his brothers worked to pry it free.

He tried not to think about how cold the water was, how its chill seeped beneath his skin and into his organs, muscles and bones, how it stabbed behind his closed eyes, how it swamped through his brain and set it aching – or maybe that was the lack of oxygen? His lungs hitched, already beginning to burn. He was disappointed in himself; he could hold his breath for three minutes straight and it had only been forty-five seconds. It was probably due to hypothermia. It was probably due to exhaustion.

 _Please, Fate, not today,_ he begged. _Not on my birthday. Not like this. Not in the cold. Not when I'm separated from them. Let it be tomorrow. Let it be on patrol. Let it be an ambush. Let it be because I protected them. Let me die in their arms. Please…not today… Please…_

His lungs were on fire…

His heart hammered against his ribs…

He was just so cold…

He felt his fingers loosen. He didn't even have the strength to open his eyes, to look up at the people he loved most in the whole world…

 _I'm sorry…_

A sharp, ringing clang was muffled through the water. Something grabbed his hands, his arms, and his shell and hauled him upward into air. Wonderful, beautiful, marvelous air. He coughed, eagerly rejecting his death, and even though he was freezing, he was warm because of the three bodies nestled against him, draped over his carapace and shoulders. Slowly, so slowly, he opened his eyes. Mikey was curled against his chest, his warm tears splattering down his plastron; Raph was on his right, his arms wrapped loosely but strongly around his neck; and Don was on his left and slightly behind him: he was the warmth at his shell, trying to work heat back into his body.

Leo lifted his weak arms and let them fall across his baby brother's shell. He leaned forward to touch his forehead to the gentle crown. "Thank you," he rasped. He didn't care that he was crying. The tears were welcome heat on his skin.

-:-:-:-

Moderate hypothermia.

We need ta get him home. April's waitin', right?

Leo? Leo, can you hear me?

 _Yes, Mikey, I can hear you,_ Leo garbled. He blinked and then something heavy shook his shoulder and his eyelids lifted a fraction.

Stay awake, Fearless. Ya gotta stay awake.

 _But it's my birthday. Let me sleep._

Get him up! _Stop shouting, Don, please._ Raph, take his other side!

 _No, I don't wanna stand. Don't make me walk, guys. Come on. I just almost drowned. Give me a break here._

But his brothers weren't listening and there were three of them and only one of him and, holy shell, was he ever tired. Warm fingers drifted along his plastron and shell, and a weight he hadn't even known he carried was lifted free.

 _What was I doing lugging around a sack of bricks?_ he wondered absently as more hands took his arms and waist and urged him forward.

Leo tried to move his feet. Rather, he tried to tell his brain to tell his spine to tell his legs to tell his feet to move. At least his feet listened to the game of Telephone; message received: he walked…staggered…stumbled forward.

 _Dumb, numb feet,_ he growled. _I'm gonna kill you when we get home._

That's it, Leo. Keep talking so we know you're conscious.

Dudes, he's threatening his own feet. Is that a good thing?

Frankly, no, it's not. His temperature is doubtlessly still dropping. This cold air isn't helping. Leo, I know you're tired but you got to stay awake and keep moving. Can you do that, Leo?

 _I don't want to._

I know but it's not that far. April's waiting for us topside in the alley between eighteenth and fourth.

 _Why'd you tell April?_ April was a worry-wart. April would hover no less than two feet away and look at him with those green eyes, so wide with fear and horror and worry and fear.

Because you'd die before we got you home. We're not going to run you nine miles through the sewers, understand? It's only twenty yards to the manhole, okay? Can you do that?

Now that he was forcing his body to move, it was excruciating. Chilled blood swam sluggishly through his limbs and each step was agony. _I don't want to._

I know you don't want to but, please, Leo? ...For me? For us?

His reaction was automatic: a tilt of his head to lean against his brother's cheek, a squeeze of their hands. _Anything for you, Donnie. Anything for my little brothers._ And he forced to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

He supposed that sleeping in his own bed at home would be preferable to sleeping in this dark, dank and chilly tunnel.

It was quiet for a moment, just them walking as quickly (which really wasn't that quickly at all) as they could through the half-frozen sewer muck. Leo smiled at the thought of a warm bath before his nap. Or maybe not. He didn't want to accidentally fall asleep in the tub. He'd almost drowned once already today, after all…

Whoa, Leo! Stay awake, man!

Leo shook his head and tried to steady himself. _Come on. You can do this. For Don. For Raph. For Mikey. Come on._

But somewhere in his confused and hypothermic brain, he knew he was done. Or maybe it wasn't his brain telling him? Maybe it was his heart as it prepared to beat its last. Maybe it was his soul as it patiently awaited the moment when it could fly away.

His body slid sideways – into Raph, he thought.

Leo! Leo! No, bro! Stay awake! Ya gotta get up! Get up, Fearless!

 _Anything for you, Raph. Anything…for you…_

Donnie, do something!

-:-:-:-

Leo awoke slowly, very aware that he wasn't where he'd been. This place was not the dark, freezing, water-logged shaft. This place was bright, warm and dry. The last thing he remembered was being pulled from the shaft, from his death. His brothers had come for him, rescued him, saved him…

He was home. He had to be.

"G-guys?" he moaned. Why did speaking hurt? Why did everything hurt, period? He tried to sit up but his arms refused to take his weight.

"Easy, Leo." Don came into view and his face was taut, his eyes red-rimmed and swollen. "Just stay still, okay?"

Leo just nodded and found that was worse than talking; his aching head throbbed sharply. He relaxed against the pillows and his arm brushed against something stiff and rubbery and very, very warm. Hot water bottle? If that was the case, then he had about six more packed into his sides and against his legs; one was even on his feet.

"Will I live?" he asked weakly. Raising his eyes to his brothers was a trial but he did it.

Donnie nodded. "Yeah," he breathed, "and there's no permanent damage."

"That's good." Leo closed his eyes again.

Fingertips ran along his forehead. His face scrunched and he shifted. "Your hands are cold, Don," he mumbled.

"Sorry," his brother replied in a whisper. "Stress does that to me."

"Mm hm. Sure. And running through the sewers in February doesn't?"

"You're insufferable."

A smile fell across his lips. "I know."

"How…how do you feel?"

"I've had better days." A sudden thought occurred to him and he opened his eyes again. "Is it still February first?"

Donnie looked away as he sat down in the chair mere inches from the cot. "…No… It's…it's the fourth."

Three days. He'd been unconscious for three days.

"It was touch and go for a while," his little brother continued. "Your heart stopped beating. We had to do CPR in April's van on the way here. We had to be so careful to warm you up or your heart would have failed again. Leo…" Tears welled in those liquid brown eyes. "I've never been so helpless. We're cold-blooded. We couldn't do anything for you. It was Sensei and April. They managed to bring your temperature to a safer level, enough that we could apply hot water bottles and electric blankets without causing you cardiac arrest."

Leo's left fingers crawled across the heavy quilt and took his brother's hand, ignoring the stress-induced chill. "It's okay," he murmured. "I'm okay. You guys did a great job."

"Raph and Mikey have been going berserk. I told them yesterday that you were stable but…you scared us, bro. You scared us so badly." Tears slid beneath the purple mask and Leo pulled slightly on his hand to bring his little brother closer. Donnie collapsed from the chair to his knees, clinging to his hand and weeping, his head bowed; tears landed on their hands.

Leo winced as he reached over with his right hand and curled it over his precious brother's head, stroking and soothing. "It's all right, Donnie. It's all right. I'm sorry I scared you but it's over. It's over."

The door creaked open. "Don? Sensei has supper on the ta…. HOLY SHELL, LEO! RAPH, DAD, CASEY, APRIL, GET IN HERE!"

Leo barely had time to look up before the cot tipped dangerously when Mikey jumped and almost landed on him, his arms thrown around his neck.

"Leeeeooo," his baby brother sobbed. "You're awake…"

"And…trying to…breathe… Mikey…"

"Oops! Sorry, sorry!" Mikey eased his death grip but nestled closer against his plastron.

Leo did not fail to notice that his little brother had his head positioned perfectly to hear his heartbeat, and he sighed. "You're such a worry-wart, Mike," he told him, enfolding him in his arms.

A stampede of feet raced into the lab and suddenly, his whole family was there. Casey whooped with glee, April wept openly, Father had tears in his eyes, and Raph looked about ready to burst into song if he actually did that kind of thing: amber eyes shone, his chest swelled with a deep breath, and he was…smiling?

"What did Donnie give you, Raph?" Leo demanded teasingly. "You look like you're riding a high."

Mikey snorted against his chest and made room for the inevitable pileup when Raph crossed the room.

"Yer lucky yer bed-ridden right now, Fearless," his brother said, still smiling away. "Otherwise, I'd punch ya."

Leo smiled up at his red-banded brother. "Good to see you, too, Raphie."

"Don't call me Raphie." The grumble was ruined by the fingers that ran along Leo's left shoulder.

Sensei materialized on Raph's other side with a sober but heartfelt, "It is wonderful to see your eyes open, my son. You gave us quite the scare."

"So Don said. Sorry, Sensei."

Splinter moved forward to rest a gentle but firm hand on his arm. "It was certainly not your fault, my kame."

Leo opened his mouth, _that's debatable_ on the tip of his tongue, but then he closed it and allowed himself to not be responsible for this one thing. He could do that. It wasn't his birthday anymore but it had been his birthday. That could just be another gift to himself. "Hai, Sensei," he murmured instead.

"Does this mean we can open presents now?" Casey put in, loud and boisterous.

"What presents?" Leo asked, confused. What had he missed?

"Your presents, smarty-pants!" Mikey sat up with a chuckle. "With you being unconscious, we had time to go shopping!"

"Can't you just give me my dumplings and leave it there?" It was futile to ask but, dang-nabbit, he hated attention!

"Nah, bro," Raph said, laughing. "Yer gonna sit there and let us do this. Besides, ya owe us fer makin' us run through the sewers in the middle of winter and bringin' ya back from the dead."

"Can't that count as a present?" Leo wondered weakly.

Don chortled. "Sorry, big brother. Here. Let's get you upright. Mikey, Raph, go help Casey and April with the presents."

"On it!"

"Take his other side, Sensei? On three. One, two, three!"

Leo bit back a moan of pain as his father and brother dragged his weary body up against the pillows, and he took a moment to orient himself around a sudden punch of vertigo. "Can I have something to eat first?" he asked.

Don smiled at him. "Nice try. We feed you and you conk out for ten hours straight. Not going to happen. You'll get some soup once you finish with your presents."

"You're all cruel people," Leo grumbled bitterly.

Splinter cupped his cheek tenderly and pressed a rare kiss to his forehead. "True," he agreed, "but we're only cruel because we love you."

At that, Leo could not stay mad, and his expression melted as Sensei sat on the edge of the cot and wrapped an arm over his shoulders. "I am glad you are awake and safe, Leonardo."

"Me, too, otosan." Leo wiped his eyes and if his eyes were a little red when the others returned, no one commented.

"Here, Leo." Casey thrusted a poorly wrapped box at him.

His fingers trembled too much to let him unwrap the thing but Don thoughtfully assisted, though he did let him open the folds of cardboard.

"Thanks, Casey," Leo said, holding up a new bottle of choji oil.

April smiled when he opened her box which was full of incense packets of his favourite scents: anise, basil and sandalwood.

"Thank you, April."

"You are welcome, Leo."

Mikey handed him a strip of paper with a simple I.O.U for a large carton of dumplings, and grinned, Leo grinning back.

Don was next and placed something no bigger than a dime in his palm.

Leo stared at it for a moment before realizing what it was. "Donnie…isn't this…?"

His little brother smiled. "I finished it. Tested and tried. A hands-free communicator. Mikey still has yet to come up with a name for it."

"What do you mean?" Mikey gasped, defensive. "I've come up with loads of names!"

"Mikey still has yet to come up with a name for it that doesn't stink," Don amended, deadpan.

Mikey frowned while everyone chuckled, and Raph gave him a small package wrapped in tissue paper. That, Leo was able to successfully open without Don's help and he stared down at the pair of brand new shuko. The claws were gleaming steel and on the palm guards was a magnificent lion rampant threaded in blue.

Leo hadn't known his brother could sew.

Everyone else didn't know what to say, either, all of them stunned by the shuko and their extraordinary design.

Leo cleared his throat, wincing as he did, and spoke, so quietly, "Thank you, Raph." Then, because he had to say it, "They're beautiful."

Raph tried to be nonchalant, to brush off the gushiness, but his eyes shone like liquid gold under the fluorescents as he shrugged. "Yer welcome, I guess." There was no denying the pride in his gaze, how proud he was that he had made something (instead of destroying it) and also proud of how much Leo loved them. Leo smiled at his brother, conveying in a single glance that he knew just how proud he was, and Raph smiled back.

Splinter got his attention with a quiet, "This is for you, my son" and passed him a package.

It was a nobori, a Japanese banner with a cross rod to keep the fabric in place. The fabric was a luxurious shade of navy and the kanji symbols for honour, intelligence, strength, and happiness were sewn in a blue hue that was suspiciously close to the blue lions on his shuko…to the bandana currently lying on the table on his right.

"Arigato, otosan," he whispered. "Thank you, everyone."

"Happy birthday, Leo!" they all chorused, and Mikey added a cheeky, "Better late than never, right?"

Leo chuckled and gave his youngest brother a hug.

"Now, you can have something to eat," Don said superiorly as he gathered the gifts and set them aside. Five minutes later, Leo had a bowl of chicken noodle soup in his hands.

"We'll save your birthday dinner for when you can actually eat it," said Mikey. "And Don said you're going to fall asleep right after that anyway so we'll save 'RED', too."

"Sounds like a plan, Mike," Leo said between bites.

His eyelids grew heavy halfway through the bowl, and Raph lunged forward to save it from tipping onto the blankets.

"All right, Leo. Bedtime." Don eased him slowly down until he was horizontal. Leo barely noticed and yawned.

"We will let you rest, my son." Father nuzzled his head and left. "Come, Michelangelo."

"Leo?" Mikey's voice wafted through his fading consciousness. "Leo, can I stay?"

"Of course, little brother." Leo lifted one corner of the quilt and Mikey slid in, settling against him with his head on his chest.

The five pairs of feet stepped out and Leo clung to wakefulness even as Mikey began to snore lightly. _Give them two minutes. Two minutes tops._

Thirty seconds after they had left, one returned and crawled in on his other side. Twenty seconds after that, the third and last brother arrived and took up position on his feet, wrapping an unused corner of blanket around him.

"What're ya smilin' fer, Fearless?" asked the voice from down by his feet.

"Nothing, Raph," was the sleepy reply. "Just…I love you guys."

"We know, Leo," Don and Mikey mumbled in unison.

"That and, you know, best birthday ever."

To say the least, nobody ever forgot Hamato Leonardo's birthday ever again.

-:-

Please review. I was also _this close_ to separating the two sections into Chapters 3 and 4 but I figured you guys were done with cliffhangers, and the last bit was ready anyway. You're welcome. :)


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